We’ve gotten to New York City – ‘just like I pictured it’ – and things are getting seriously New Yorked.  In our two shows so far, we’ve had approximately a thousand guests, both backstage and onstage, and a ton of fun.  Little sleep, maximum fun.

On Thursday, “Bird Song” began in the first set with Jimmy Herring joining the band (Jimmy also played on “Iko Iko”), and ended in the second set with Warren Haynes (also on “Sugaree”).  NY drummer Tom Pope joined Jay Lane in a furious duet during “Stuff,” and Steve Molitz and a newcomer to most, a fine vocalist with Janis-like powerful pipes named Dana Fuchs, jumped in for an incendiary closing “Lovelight.”

On Friday, Dana came back for “The Weight,” “Eyes” went wild with the great sax players George Garzone and Doug Yates joining Kenny Brooks, and then Alphabet Soup2 – the basic Soup played at the Highline Ballroom later in the night – took over the Beacon stage on “The River Song” – just about everybody already mentioned, plus Dred Scott on keys, Chris Burger and Zacariah Mose on mics, and your editor probably missed a few too.

A very New York kind of insanity.  We hear the Soup gig later on was equally thunderous.  Sleep is for babies.